Fast All- American Beef Chili

This was super easy to make- I really like how they explained why they used the tomatoes they did, and why to put them through the blender- I really like the consistency of this chili- I usually use diced tomatoes and it's too chunky- I'll be doing this trick again...

But...using my own chili seasonings- these cooks must not be from the south, because even for me who hates spicy foods, this was bland!  I added probably triple the chili powder and it still wasn't enough-

I really like the boxed 2 alarm chili mix from the grocery store :)

Maque Choux with Chicken and Kielbasa (pg. 80)

I made this a couple weeks ago and thought I'd be the first one to post about it.....and then Darby beat me to it!  :)  We really liked this dish and would make it again.  I have never in my life heard of "maque choux" and as the book says and Darby mentioned, it is a Cajun dish that "few people outside of Lousiana have ever heard of."  My husband is Lousiana born and raised and even he had never heard of this...I guess he isn't very "Cajun" afterall!

The one boo-boo I made was putting too much chicken in it.  How could that be a boo-boo, you might ask....well, it's supposed to be a rich stew...and mine was not "stew-y" at all!  I guesstimated (incorrectly) on the 1 pound of chicken it calls for and I probably actually put closer to 2 lbs, so there was not enough liquid to make it a stew.  I actually added more chicken broth at the end after I'd added the chicken and realized that I'd put too much...and there was still not enough liquid.  BUT, it had a great flavor anyway so we still enjoyed it!  Just make sure you don't over-do the chicken like I did!

Chicken Fricassee with Artichokes and Leeks

I made this for my hubby, son and brother in law last week and if my husband had kept his mouth shut about their being artichokes in it, they would have all devoured it!  Instead they picked through the sauce, but ate all of the chicken.   It was super yummy and easy to make.  We usually eat white chicken breasts, but the juciness and smoothness of the bone-in thigh chicken was a yummy treat!  It took right at 30 minutes from start to table.  A success in my eyes!